hank you for your interest in graduate education in biostatistics or in epidemiology at the George Washington University. The following is a summary of our graduate programs with information about admissions and financial assistance. In addition to this document, interested students should also examine the Reference Guide to the overall program and the Quick Reference Guide for the specific degree program in which you plan to enroll. These program guides include the specific degree requirements and the descriptions of the program coursework.

he Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics of the School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS), and the Department of Statistics and the Biostatistics Center of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences (CCAS) jointly offer programs of study leading to the MS or PhD degree in biostatistics or in epidemiology. The degrees are conferred by the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. In general, the Department of Statistics provides graduate courses in statistics and in biostatistics, while the SPHHS provides graduate courses in general areas of public health and epidemiology. The Graduate Program is administered by an Executive Committee comprised of faculty from the Department of Statistics of the CCAS and the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics of the SPHHS.

he MS in Biostatistics entails 33 credit (semester) hours of coursework, 24 in statistics and biostatistics, 7 in public health and epidemiology, and a 2 hour consulting practicum. The MS in Epidemiology entails 33 hours of coursework with 16 hours in public health/epidemiology, 6 in statistics/biostatistics, a 2 hour consulting practicum, and 9 hours of electives in either public health/epidemiology or statistics/biostatistics.

he PhD in Biostatistics entails a total of 72 credit hours, a minimum of 51 being coursework: 36 in statistics/biostatistics, 12 in public health/epidemiology, and 3 in consulting. Likewise, for the PhD in Epidemiology the 51 hours of coursework include at least 18 hours of courses in statistics/biostatistics, at least 27 hours in public health/epidemiology, and 3 hours of consulting. Students who have received an MA, MS or MPH degree in a field relevant to the proposed field of doctoral study may request transfer of up to 24 credit hours towards the 51 hour minimum coursework requirement, a minimum of 27 additional hours being required.

he George Washington University follows a semester system, with classes for the fall term beginning in the last week of August and classes (and exams) for the spring semester ending by the second week of May. Some classes are also available over the summer months.

  limited number of teaching and research assistantships are available. The Department of Statistics offers teaching assistantships for students in statistics or biostatistics, usually to doctoral students. Proficiency in the English language is required. Traditionally, each year we expect that 1 or 2 such assistantships will be conferred to biostatistics students.

he School of Public Health and Health Services also has a limited number of teaching assistantships and tuition benefits to award to incoming students, usually to doctoral students in epidemiology.

he Biostatistics Center is a large research facility with a Medical Center Unit which provides consultation and statistical support to medical center research activities. The Biostatistics Center is located off campus in Rockville, MD, which is convenient to the metro subway system. The Biostatistics Center Medical Center Unit is located on campus. A limited number of part-time research staff positions are available through either the Biostatistics Center or the Medical Center Unit for incoming doctoral students in biostatistics or in epidemiology. Proficiency in the SAS programming language is required.

pplicants requesting financial assistance should so indicate on their application for admission which is submitted to the CCAS. The application should include additional materials which describe the applicant's proficiency with SAS and computer systems, and the extent of prior relevant work experience. A decision on financial aid will be made by the Admissions Committee in conjunction with the decision on admission.

pplications are accepted in the spring and summer for the fall term until the enrollment quotas for that term are filled. If openings exist, applications are also accepted over the summer and fall for a spring admission (see deadlines). All applications are reviewed by an Admissions Committee consisting of graduate program faculty. The final decision on all applications, however, rests with the office of the Associate Dean for Graduate Affairs of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences.

Information on how to apply for admission to degree programs conferred by the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences are given in the CCAS Graduate Admissions website.

Information regarding the status of your CCAS application for admission or about the general regulations of CCAS may be obtained from:

Biostatistics Program Information: Inquiries about the MS and PhD program in Biostatistics may be addressed to:

Epidemiology Program Information: The Program Director for Epidemiology is Dr. Dante Verme, Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Inquiries about the programs in Epidemiology may be addressed to:

inally, the Department of Statistics also offers MS and PhD degrees in Statistics, and SPHHS offers MPH and DrPH degrees with various areas of concentration. Further information on the MPH and DrPH degrees may be obtained from the SPHHS website.

Statistics Program Information: Inquiries about graduate programs in Statistics and teaching assistantships in the Department of Statistics may be addressed to the Chairman of the Statistics Department:

Thank you for your interest in the George Washington University.